Origin

Middle English: from Old Frenchlivree 'delivered', feminine past participle of livrer, from Latinliberare 'liberate' (in medieval Latin 'hand over'). The original sense was 'the dispensing of food, provisions, or clothing to servants'; hence sense 4, also 'allowance of provender for horses', surviving in the phrase at livery and in livery stable. sense 1 arose because medieval nobles provided matching clothes to distinguish their servants from others'.

The root of liberty is Latin liber ‘free’, the source also of liberal (Middle English) , libertine (Late Middle English), and livery (Middle English), and deliver. During the French Revolution the rallying cry was ‘liberty, equality, fraternity’. Supporters of change wore the cap of liberty, a red conical cap of a type that had originally been given to Roman slaves when they were freed.